Limbo's Child (50 page)

“So…” she said clapping her hands in front of her, “Is that what you wanted to talk about or was there something else?”

“Oh!” The ballgame had made Nephys completely forget the stone and his mission. “Um…I have something to tell you…something
really
important.” That was as far as he could get before freezing. Maggie widened her eyes and rocked on her heels, but still nothing.

“Okay,” Maggie eventually prodded him, “Go on.”

He swallowed and looked down. “Um…I have to go. I have to go…now.”

“Go? But you just got here!” she chuckled nervously.

“No…I have to go…” and then he leaned in to whisper the last word, “
back
.”

“
Back
? Back to the
scriptorium
?” she laughed. “Well…Okay. Just checking up on me, huh?” she laughed again and started turning to go back to work in the garden. “Ok, I’ll see you when you get back. I’ll have supper ready when you get here, I hope you like leeks and lumpy tubers. That’s all that seems to grow here.”

“No, you don’t understand!” He ran forward and grabbed her arm. She turned, suddenly aware of his urgency. Her angry glance made him immediately let go. “I…I won’t be back, or at least maybe I won’t be…not for a while anyway, and I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” she looked at him genuinely concerned. “You’re scaring me, Nep.”

“Flubbit!” Hiero tooted in equal dissatisfaction.

“And that’s hard to do in this place,” she said coolly, eyeing up Hiero contemptuously. She folded her arms and looked back at him with an unwavering stare. “What’s going on, Nep?”

“Um…” he hesitated.

“
WHERE
are you going, Nep?” she demanded authoritatively. For a moment it was like his grandmother was standing there scolding him.

Maggie raised a stern eyebrow at him and he decided there was no discrete way to say it, so he just pointed one finger slowly upward. Her eyes followed it all the way up to the empty sky and the overhanging clouds or cavern roof, whatever it was. She looked up puzzled for a moment and then back at him. As her eyes widened and her mouth opened soundlessly he knew she understood.

“
No
,” she said faintly, bringing her hand to her mouth.

“Yes,” he said, nodding vigorously.

She turned around in a tight circle pulling her hair back from her forehead before asking, “But…but you said it was impossible!”

He shrugged and said, “I thought it
was
impossible!” not sure he quite believed it himself. “But I guess it’s not.”

“You guess?!” she was getting angry, but she calmed herself. “I’m sorry…it’s not your fault, it’s just…” She looked like she couldn’t think of the words to say. “How?” she finally said simply.

He looked around frantically. The garden didn’t seem secure enough, so he reached down and grabbed Maggie by the hand and pulled her into the dark, inner chamber of his small tomb.

“Fooont?” Hiero tooted curiously, jumping down and following them.

“Nep?” Maggie exclaimed as he pulled her roughly in and closed the tomb door just after Hiero squeezed past. “What’s going on?! Why are you going back?
How
are you going back?”

Nephys dropped his pen case on the small table and turned to look at her. He wasn’t actually certain how to start or how much he should tell her or whether she would even believe. Then he felt the warmth of the stone and decided to start there.

“This is why
and
how.” He unfolded his hand and the small, glassy pebble shone on his palm, its bright green light flooding the small tomb chamber. He wondered for a moment if she would be able to see it all but that notion was erased when he saw her expression.

“Oh, my…” she put her hands to her mouth, but her wide eyes expressed her shock perfectly, as well as a faint glimmer of something else like recognition.

“You can see it?!” Nephys asked excitedly. He was glad to know he wasn’t the only one.

“Yes…yes I can see it. It’s beautiful…it’s so
green
. I had…I had almost forgotten.” She turned away a moment. “Two days in Limbo and I had already forgotten,” she said almost in shock. She turned back quickly.

She reached out towards it. “Is that…” she was about to say something else but she was cut off by a sudden fit by Hiero.

“FaRghanntafoonttulapoooont!” Hiero was doing backflips and stabbing the ground and walls in a fit of something like manic rage. Hiero nearly stabbed the bed into splinters. The stone bowl tipped over, shattered and instantly reformed.

“Hiero! Stop it!” Nephys closed his hands on the stone and went to try to calm the angry bagpipe down, but Maggie called him back.

“Nep!” Maggie reached out frantically for him. “What’s going on? What’s this about going…
back
?” Nephys turned and faced her. She was terrified. He tried to ignore the sounds of Hiero thrashing around the small room and concentrate on her for a moment.

“I don’t know really…it’s just…” he hesitated. He wasn’t certain how much he should tell her, but then he thought, “Who else did she know? Who was she going to tell?”

“The Chamberlain told me…” he began.

“The Chamberlain?!” He couldn’t tell if her expression was from shock or confusion. He had forgotten that she was new here and didn’t know much.

“Yes, he’s the second in command to Death himself. He told me I had to take the stone back through the Gates of Erebus.”

“But the tide of dead souls…you said…”

“I
know!
” Nephys shuddered at the thought. “But, he…the Chamberlain…he said the stone would protect me…he also said the god, Anubis, would help me.”

“Anubis?! He’s
still
around?” She pulled her hair back from her forehead again.

“Um…I guess.” Nephys wasn’t really certain what she knew or understood, but he had no more time. “But he told me I had to go…right
now
.”

“I don’t understand! Why are you taking the stone out of Limbo?!” she said frantically.

Nephys swallowed. “It’s for the Necromancer.”

Hiero’s fit came to a sudden stop. The silence was eerie. Nephys turned to look, but Maggie called him back.

“The
Necromancer?!
What has
he
got to do with all this?!”

Nephys looked back at her curiously…a question started to form in his mind, but then Hiero started throwing another fit. He picked up the stone bowl, smashed it, let it reform and smashed it again.

“Hiero!” Even though he couldn’t harm the bowl the sound was extremely irritating.

“Nephys!” Maggie called him back and had even pronounced his name correctly this time.

“What?” Nephys looked back at Maggie’s anxious and desperate expression. “Oh…the stone. The Chamberlain told me that I had to take the stone to the Necromancer. He said that the Necromancer was failing, that he was near death and that he needed the stone to restore the balance between our worlds, I’m not sure how exactly, and that only I could take it to him. He said it was important, so I have to go…now. ”

Maggie went white. Her eyes unfocused and she wandered off a bit before lowering herself onto the remnants of Nephys’ bed. She looked numb. Even Hiero paused, but when Nephys looked at him he just smashed the bowl again.

“STOP THAT!” he yelled, but Hiero just ignored him.

He turned back to Maggie. She looked utterly forlorn. He had to say something.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back.
Eventually
,” He added trying to sound encouraging. “Don’t worry. You’ll have Hiero to look after you.” That last part stuck in his throat. He wasn’t so certain if that was comforting or not, but he had to say something.

They both looked at Hiero expectantly. “Flubbit,” Hiero droned out before smashing the bowl again.

Nephys looked back at Maggie. Her eyes looked moist. He swallowed. “Well…Goodbye.” he said abruptly and he turned towards the door, but she jumped up off the bed and pulled him back once again.

“Nep!” Her eyes darted side to side like she was unable to look directly at him.

“Maggie, I’m sorry but the Chamberlain said I had to go
right away
.”

“I know, I know,” she said trying to slow her breathing, “But I need to tell you something first.” She swallowed hard and looked at him. “I know we haven’t known each other very long.”

“Maggie…” Nephys whined trying to pull free, but she wouldn’t let go of him.

“
AND
!” she went on forcefully, “And I know that you don’t owe me anything more after all you’ve done for me…but…” She paused and tightened her grip on his arm. “I need to ask you to do me a favor.”

Nephys sighed. “Maggie, I don’t know…I need to go.”

“Just listen to me.” She gripped his arm a little tighter and her lower lip trembled as she gathered the courage to say what she was going to say next, “I need you to take a note to my daughter.”

Nephys just blinked in disbelief. Hiero stopped smashing the bowl and went dead silent. “I…I don’t think that’s allowed. No one up there is supposed to know anything about the afterworld! There are rules!”

“I
know
it’s against the rules, Nephys,” she said emphatically. He found it odd how she could suddenly pronounce his name correctly. “But…but I really want…no I
need
…I need my daughter to know I’m all right.”

“Maggie…I don’t think I can…”

“Please, Nephys!” She gripped him by both arms. “I’m begging you. I really need her to know I’m ok.”

Nephys rolled his eyes. “How will I even find her?” He hoped to dissuade her. “I could wind up on the other side of the world from where she is!”

Maggie was undeterred. “It’s not hard, I can give you directions. We live just outside Ephrata, Pennsylvania, just off East Mohler Church Road.”

“I don’t even know if I will be going anywhere near there!” Nephys complained.

“TRUST ME!” she implored, “It’s important. There’s no street address, but it’s the second drive after you pass a large, white church heading towards Reamstown, can you remember that?”

Nephys sighed, “Yes, I can remember it.” Nephys had remembered half the books in creation, of course he could remember it, but he decided not to share that with her cause it might sound like he was bragging.

“Repeat it for me. East Mohler Church Road. Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Second dirt drive past the old, white church.”

“East Mohler Church Road. Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Second dirt drive past the old, white church.” he repeated tonelessly, resigned.

“Good. So you’ll take a note for me?”

Nephys bit his lip and looked at her and then at Hiero who was panting furiously, holding the bowl over his head as if ready to drop it at any moment. What she wanted violated all the rules, but even though she was still asking, Nephys knew that
she
knew he would eventually cave in and consent to her request.

“All right, but make it quick,” Nephys said at last.

Hiero slammed the bowl one last time before instantly snatching the pen case from the small bedside table and handing it to Maggie. She certainly had him very well trained. Maggie took out one of the reed pens and looked around for something to write on. Nephys helpfully looked through the rubble of Hiero’s fit, pulled out a small scrap of papyrus and handed it to her. She snatched it from him and turned her back to him. She paused with the pen over the small piece of papyrus, took a deep breath and held it in thought.

“It must be hard to think of what to write to your daughter from beyond the grave,” thought Nephys. The regrets, the last moments, the things left unsaid, all the parental advice she wanted to give but would never get the chance.

For a moment, Nephys was afraid that she was going to take all night but then she took one more breath, and plunged the pen into the palette. Nephys noticed she used the red ink. Less than two seconds of rapid scribbling later and she was done. She rolled it up and handed it to him. He took it gingerly, but he didn’t even get the chance to look at her awkwardly before she pulled him into a tight bear hug.

Nephys blinked in a mix of discomfort and surprise for what seemed like ages. He couldn’t even remember the last time anyone had hugged him. He felt warmer and more alive than he had felt in centuries. She gripped him tightly for a moment longer before releasing him.             “We’re family now, Nep. You and me.” she said simply. She was trying to put on her tough act, but she had to sniff back the tears.

“FAAARnfarnt!” Hiero bleated, not to be ignored.

She smiled at the protesting little imp. “And Hiero too.”

“VARN-Flubbit!” Hiero replied. Nephys couldn’t tell if he was happy or insulted by the inclusion.

“You should take Hiero with you,” she prompted suddenly, “Might come in handy.”

“Hiero?!” Nephys said in horror.

“PARAANT?!” Hiero hooted hopping up and down and violently stabbing the ground with his butcher knife.

“OH, NO!” Nephys protested. “Taking the note is bad enough. Imps aren’t even supposed to be in Limbo let alone the land of the living. I’m already going to be in trouble enough taking this note back!”